|
|
Utterly OT: Freeview aerials
|
We live in an area that technically doesn't have Freeview, but
generally get reasonable reception. Sometimes though, we don't.
AIUI, a proper digital antenna should improve things.
I've also been recommended the use of low-loss cable, which can
apparently make a big difference.
I've already tried an amp at the bottom of the cable, but it doesn't
really help and the colleague who recommended the cable reckons that
they often just amplify noise picked up by the cable, anyway. He
reckoned that header amps work better.
So: any recommendations for an antenna?
|
One of these, with the right group:
This will tell you what transmitters are nearby and what group aerial
This explains what channels the different groups correspond to:
Low loss terrestrial tv aerial cable will be ok.
I don't think you can get hi-loss cable any more.
A long pole to mount it is a good idea but an antenna preamp is not.
|
Excellent, just what I was looking for. Ta.
Nearest Tx is Sandy Heath, which we're pointing at anyway.
"Antenna suggestion: Amplified extra hi-gain". Ho hum. Pertty much
what I was expecting.
|
Mine says the same, which probably explains why I only get a few
channels on the aerial which has been on the roof for 20 years or so.
But as I can see the transmitter from my house, I expect a new aerial
and cable will do the trick. This explains more about the multiplexes:
|
|
|
|
You need to get a specific digital one, as they are tuned
for a different band than analogue signals. Yes, you can
still receive the digital signal through a standard aerial,
but it won't give you the best reception.
AAUI, the digital signals are also broadcast using a
lot less power, so unless you're sitting right underneath
the transmitter, you really need to have the right equipment.
|
Having lived within 100 yards of such a transmitter, I can attest that
being right underneath one is not good for reception.
|
Presumably it reansmits a variety of frequencies, though, so you'll be
getting high-power splatter from adjacent channels.
|
|
If it's the one I am thinking of, I used to live very close by too.
ISTR back in the 70's, our TV Repair Man telling us that it didn't
actually provide any signal to the local area, as ours was fed from
elsewhere.
Mind you, that was a long time ago and my memory is shot, so it could
be mis-remembered bollocks.
|
|
|
|
|